Cirque du Soleil Theme Park Coming to Mexico

Scheduled to Open in 2018

Cirque du Soleil

November 12, 2014

In conjunction with the Latin American-based hotel developer, Grupo Vidanta, Cirque du Soleil announced today that it will be creating a destination theme park in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, a seaside resort area located on the country's west coast. The park is slated for a 2018 opening.

Still under development, the park will feature the whimsical and unique stamp of Cirque du Soleil, Montreal's avant garde performing troupe that stages elaborate productions in Las Vegas and other venues around the globe. According to the announcement, the centerpiece attraction will be a nightly Cirque show designed especially for the park in an outdoor theater that will accommodate audiences up to 5,000.

Other components may include water park slides and rides and nature attractions. Among the themed lands, as depicted in artist renderings, are Village of the Sun (the French "soleil" translates to "sun" in English) and one themed to the Moon. While Cirque has not released details about attractions, the renderings do include roller coasters, a carousel, and spinning rides. The architecture and design depicted in the drawings looks very colorful and highly stylized in the Cirque tradition.

This would not be Cirque du Soleil's first experience in the theme park arena. It presents one of its resident shows, La Nouba, in a Downtown Disney (soon to be renamed Disney Springs) permanent theater at the Walt Disney World resort in Florida. This would, however, mark the first time that guests would be able to experience Cirque-style attractions inside a theme park.

Cirque and its partner in the park project, Grupo Vidanta, are currently working together on Joya. Described as a theatrical and culinary experience, it will open in late November 2014 in Riviera Maya. Grupo Vidanta operates posh resorts, including many in Nuevo Vallarta, the future home of the theme park. One of the company's hotel brands is The Grand Mayan. It is likely that at least some of the existing hotels will be incorporated, Disney World-style, into a larger mega resort that would include the theme park.

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Village of the Sun

Cirque du Soleil.

Among the lands planned for the Cirque du Soleil theme park will be Village of the Sun. The rendering shows highly stylized, colorful, and non-linear design that is typical in Cirque productions. Attractions appear to include a carousel and a roller coaster.

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A Bridge to the Moon

Cirque du Soleil

Visitors to the Cirque du Soleil theme park coming to Mexico will be able to cross a bridge to the Moon. There are no further details available about what might happen once folks arrive at the Moon, but it does appear quite striking in the rendering.